Mark continued the series to ‘Reach Far’ to those far from God so they could encounter God’s grace and love. Using the analogy of his fitness journey, our decision to join and commit to training at a gym is what will get us fit.
Our faith journey requires consistency and a pursuit of growth. The challenge in the Church is that our salvation does not end by just calling ourselves Believers and attending Church. Jesus did not call us to just make converts, but disciples. Our mission is to raise up converts from all Nations, to become followers of Jesus’s way of life so they will reflect His glory to the world. Our mandate includes baptising them and teaching them to obey everything Jesus commanded.
REACH FAR, RAISE UP, RELEASE WIDE!
This is our commitment at Life Changers Church – to raise up mighty warriors for God’s Kingdom and release them into the marketplace. There is a lot more than just being able to point to Jesus. Paul, who pioneered the planting of Churches, invites us in Colossians 1:28 to train up disciples to full maturity in Christ. The journey of Christian maturity is learning to sustain yourself towards growing in Christ, and then training others to grow their faith too.
The Church is the only organisation that doesn’t exist for ourself but for those who are not members yet. We are not a brand or a preaching or worship style, but a means to help others encounter the grace and love of Jesus Christ. It is our mandate to not only see the lost saved but also to raise them up to maturity in knowledge and understanding.
The writer of Hebrews challenges us to stop feeding on milk when it is time to feed on the solid meat of the scriptures, to help us to apply the truth so that we will be able to discern between good from evil. Maturity comes when you stop relying on your preacher or Church leaders to give you direction and start seeking God’s Word to make those important decisions in life. God has already given you access to His throne room, to reach Him directly. It is no one else’s responsibility to hear from God, except you!
- Get into God’s Presence
In the book of Galatians, we are reminded that our fruits of the spirit need to be growing as our faith increases. This only happens when we ‘Get into it’ and do the time in the presence of God, and allow God to come upon us. Spiritual discernment comes when our fruits are growing. Christ-likeness is the ultimate goal of our maturity, where we become more like Jesus, and start responding like He would. - Perseverance and endurance
Mature believers endure trials with perseverance. Psalm 84 encourages us that those who walk in the valley of Baka (mourning and weeping) will become fountains and springs in the desert. When we plant ourselves in the House of the Lord, we will become sources of life, even in our seasons of weeping - Love in Action
1 John 3:8 tells us not to love with just words but also in action. Raising up is not the preacher’s job but the mandate for the whole Church. It is our job to raise new Pastors. We all grow to maturity when we commit to community. This is why we have weekly Life Groups and run courses like Marriage; to help people in their journey of faith.
- Follow Jesus
It is our radical response to Jesus that propels us to disciple others. In Matthew 4, we are invited to follow Jesus (come away with Him) so He can teach us to become fishers of men. Following Jesus produces a productive and life-giving life, greater than you could ever imagine. To be a disciple is to train to become like Jesus.
COME, FOLLOW AND LET GOD DO THE WORK!
Our journey is to become ‘like Father, like son’, a negative term in today’s world, but the truth when it comes to our Christian Walk. Some call it sanctification, but it is just a process of grace, where we allow God’s Spirit to transform us.
Mark shared the story of two different men from Scripture with similar journeys but with very different outcomes, to encourage us to ‘Get into it’.
In Mark 10:17 we read of a rich, young ruler, whose name is not mentioned, but who is zealous to want to inherit eternal life. Jesus responds by telling him that he needs to give everything he has away. Because his wealth had become an idol, he rejected Jesus’s invitation to follow Him.
This is a warning to all businessmen that some good deals will need to be left behind because they are not of God’s kingdom. The same goes for single people who are tempted to settle for second best or marry those who are not saved. There are some things you need to leave on the table if you want to see the Glory of God in your life. You need to make God the centre of all your decisions.
In Luke 5, we see another man, a tax collector named Levi who becomes Matthew the disciple, just by choosing to get up, leave everything behind and follow Jesus. Although both these men had been obsessed with money, only Levi was able to put Jesus first by following Him. The difference between these two men was what they saw – Levi saw countless healings and miracles performed by Jesus. Our God is a miracle-working God, but it demands a journey of following Him and obeying when He calls us to walk away from some things and some people.
Will you allow yourself to go on that journey of becoming a disciple of Jesus? God wants to breathe fire into your faith so that He can set you ablaze for His Kingdom to become a disciple, who disciples others.
It is time to turn and repent from your past failings and place your eyes fully on Jesus, to fully follow Him so you can learn to become like Him. Getting into it means being fully committed to this journey and process of transformation. It means not only being focused on our own salvation but also joining a community to reach out to others, to lead them through a life of discipleship.
Let us allow the song ‘Turn your eyes upon Jesus’ to stir up your faith to keep your focus on Jesus, so your problems will grow dim – https://youtu.be/UHHPbBfinXs?si=hIYtDCM-6s4j1YK0